Reversible boat



T. H. GASKIN.

REVERSIBLE BOAT.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 24.1919.

1,408,580. Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

g /9 I I gNTOR" 4 a, M

UNITED STATES THOMAS H. GASKIN, 01E WOODFORD, ENGLAND.

REVERSIBLE BOAT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, 1922.

Application filed. July 24, 1919. Serial No. 312,935.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS H. GAsKIN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, and a resident of lVoodford, county of Essex. England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reversible Boats, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in reversible boats adapted for being carried on ship board and capable of use as life boats with which ships are as a rule provided. Such a boat comprises a buoyancy chamber extending around the periphery thereof and means placed about midway of the boat as a whole for dividing the boat into substantially symmetrical upper and lower portions, either one of which when turned uppermost, provides a well fitted with thwarts and other necessary devices capable of serving for the accommodation of passengers.

The means hereinafter referred to as the deck of the boat which divides the boat into upper and lower portions, is provided with passageways extending through the same, each of which passageways is furnished. with a valve provided with means serving at all times to automatically main tain the valve closed. One of the valves, when the boat is afloat, serves to permit the escape of air from beneath the boat which would otherwise be confined under pressure within the well of what is then the inverted half of the boat and the other valve serves to permit the escape of water from the well of the upper half oi the boat, at the same time, however, preventing water surging through the passageway in the deck and en tering the well of the'upper half of the boat.

Preferably these passageivays in the deck, o'l which there are at least two, are pro \ided with vent tubes which extend in opposite directions from the deck, each tube being of suihcient length to reach well above the level of the water upon which the boat is resting when afloat.

As a result of this construction it is ohvious that either compartment or well of the boat serves for the reception of passengers, likewise that both wells are selfibailing, and as a whole the boat willbe very stable.

In the accompanying drawings wherein I have illustrated an embodiment of myinvention,

Fig. 1 shows in perspective my improved reversible boat;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken about midway of the length of the boat; and

Flg. 3 is a view similar to-Fig. 2 with the valve mechanism shown very much enlarged.

Referring to the drawings in detail, 1 designates the boat in general which as disclosed in section in Figs. 2 and 3, is provided with a buoyancy chamber 2 extending around its periphery. About midway of the depth of the boat I have provided a dividing means or deck dividing the boat into two substantially symmetrical upper and lower halves 5 and 6. As illustrated the deck comprises two spaced apart partitions 3 and l and a buoyancy chamber 7 between the same, which obviously increases the buoyancy of the boat and therefore its passengencarryu ing capacity, but it is to be understood that it is within the scope of the present invention to provide but a single deck it desired. f

Extending through the deck members 3 and 4 are passageways 8 and 9 which as illustrated, are provided with vent tubes 10 and 11 respectively. It may here be men tioned that while I have illustrated but two vent tubes the number may be increased as desired, The vent tube 10, assuming for example, that the boat is in the water, ex-

tends upwardly from the deck of the boat to a point above the level of the water upon which the boat is resting, while the lower end of this tube is substantially flush with the surface of the under side of the deck member 4. The tube-11 is a duplicate, substantially, of the tube 10, this tube, however, in the assumed position of the boat, extending downwardly from the deck menr her 3, substantially the same distance that the tube 10 extends above the surface of: the deck number l. The tube 10 is providinl with a valve 12 and the tube 11. with a valve 13, the valve 12 in the position shown. in Fig. 2 opening upwardly while the valve 13 in the same figure pens downwardly. As these valves are duplicates of each other, so far as their construction is concerned, a description of one will suffice for both.

Referring to the enlarged view (Fig. 3) it will be seen that the valve 13 comprises a valve plate let pivoted at 15 and having a rearwardly extending weighted portion 16 sufficiently heavy to cause the valve plate to be swung to closed position when the boat is in the position shown in Fig, but the valve plate is so balanced that any water entering the well will tiorce th valve open against the action of the weighted portion 16 to permit the water to escape through the passageway 9 and into the well 6 which, it will be understood, is not quite entirely submerged in the water upon which the boat resting. Secvned to the side of the tube in any suitable mani'ier, is a belt crank-lever provided with arms Ii? and 18 pivoted at 19, the arm 17 heing; weighted. ith the tube 11 in the position assumed, it will be obvious that the weighted arm 17 will drop to cause the bell-cranlt-lever to rock about its pivot to carry the arm 18 out of the path of the valve lq-l: so that the latter is free to move to open position under the action of any water in the well 5 so far as the hell-cranlolever is concerned. Oi course it will he understood that in the tube 10 at this time. the valve niechai'iisin will be reversed, that to say, the tei'idency ot the valve plate i l in that tube is to lift off its seat due to the action of the weightlo, but this movement of the valve is prevented by reason of the fact that the weighted arm 1'7 will have moved about its pivot to cause the end of the arm 18 to be immediately above the end of the va'lveplate to prevent the same from lilting oili its seat to any considerable extent, a small amount oi play, however, designated by reference character 90, being" provided between the end of the arm 18 and the valve plate.

Assuming now that the boat is in the water with the well 5 uppermost, the weighted arm, 17 in the tube 11 will fall to cause the arm 18 of the bell-cranlr-lever to move away from beneath the valve plate 14, and any water contained within the well 5 is free to open the valve against the action ot the weighted portion 16 thereof and escape beneath the boat, the valve ii'nniediately returning to its closed position so that'watin: staging upwardly beneath the boat may not enter the well 5. At this time also, the valve in the tube 1.0 is nuiintaiiiied in substantially closed {)USltlOll, due to the arm 17 ha ving, under the a rti on of gra v it vi been swung around to carry the end of the arm l8 beneath the valve l t but it will he noticed that air confined in the well 6 be neath the deck. of the boat is tree to escape to the atmosphere by reason of the clearance 20 which has been providedliietween the surface of the valve and the end of the arm 18.

As before pointed out, the vent tubes l and 11 preveiit compression of air beneath the deck of theboat when the boat is in the water which would cause the boat to be mosses more or less unstable and also insure that the boat will he self-bailing and therefore the well or 6 as the case may he, whichever happens to be uppermost, will be 1naintai l in adry condition.

llhile the valves 12 and 13 have been illustrated as being located at the deck end of the vent tubes, it is understood that I am not to be confined to this location 01" the valves for obviously the same may be located at the outer end 01 the tubes if desired. It is further understood that I am not to be limited to the precise construction illustrated oi the automatic means for maintaining the alves closed as obvioi'lsly this constructicn might be varied by others skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and SQOPQ of this invention.

I believe that I am the first to provide vent tubes and valve mechanism for the purpose of rendering: a boat self-bailing and to prei nt coinaression of air beneath the. deck Oi the same wherein the valves are automatically maintained in substantially closed position at all times.

lVhat I claim as new is:

1. .ln :1 rcversibleboat, the'comliiination of means for dividing the boat into substantially symmetrical upper and lower portions said means being provided with passage this tube in communication is freeot" water. and the other valvein the other tube will be maintained in partially open position. ii

2. In a reversible boat the combination oi means tor dividing a boat into two substantially symmetrical upper and lower portions vent tubes extending through said dividing 'i'neans in opposite directions. a weighted pivoted valve in each oi said vent tubes. and a bell cranit-lever in each ol said vent tubes co-opevat'ii r with each of said valves for pl'cventii j i e full opening oi a valve when a vent tube is in one position and automaticallv moving said valve to Closed position when the vent tube is moved to another position.

This specification sinned and WliIHEZS'Std this lt th day (it July, A. ll. 191,9,

7 THOMAS H. GASKIN. and injthe presence ot- JOSEPH llloirreoiinnv, U mans G. llnnrrsiit. 

